Part of the Doc's Mid-Major Week.

This is getting a little old. We're almost past the point of thinking Boise State is going to win the WAC to the point of knowing Boise State is going to win the WAC, which actually should have happened a long time ago: The Broncos own the best conference record in the country since joining in 2001, have seven conference titles in eight years and still haven't lost a WAC game at home, where they get their toughest competition this year, Nevada, on Nov. 27.

If you're looking for chinks in that armor, the best bet is BSU's front seven on defense: Only one starter is back on the line, and have no reliable starter at linebacker. But BSU has led the WAC in both total and scoring defense all three years under Christ Petersen, and with the offense -- especially quarterback Kellen Moore, now the center of attention after a very good redshirt freshman debut -- the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 is still many miles wider than anywhere else in the country.

Reno 411. I do expect, however, that the Broncos' Nov. 27 date with Nevada -- the finale for the Wolf Pack -- will have championship ramifications. Nevada may come in with a couple losses that keep it well below the national radar (two of the first three games are against Notre Dame and Missouri), but once the Pack gets into the WAC schedule, it should be more or less clear sailing into a winner-take-all trip in Boise. Everyone who ventures an opinion considers Colin Kaepernick the best quarterback (and probably the best player) in the conference, with a bruising running back, Vai Taua, who piled up WAC-best 1,521 yards as a Plan B after starter Luke Lippincott (also back) was injured; the Pack gained more yards (385) and scored more than twice as many points (34) as any other WAC offense against Boise last year, and were the only conference rival that finished within a touchdown of the Broncos in a 41-34 loss in Reno. If there's an upset brewing, even with the game on the blue turf, Nevada has to be the pick for Kaepernick alone.

A bowl grows in Honolulu? Well, in fact, yes: One of the reasons I think Hawaii is a better bet for a bowl game than Louisiana Tech despite how I predict the standings will look is that the hometown Hawaii Bowl is contractually obligated to pick the Warriors if they're eligible -- and with Central Washington, Washington State and UNLV outside of the conference (not to mention a very winnable game against Navy in late November), a 4-4 conference record will probably get them there. Louisiana Tech, on the other hand, goes at Auburn, at Navy and at LSU, which makes a return to the postseason a dicey proposition even with another winning record in the WAC. (The Bulldogs' non-conference slate last year was Mississippi State, Kansas, Southeast Louisiana and Army.) Favorable bowl contracts: Just another reason to welcome the islanders with open arms at the end of their 4,030-mile trip from Honolulu to Ruston in late September.

Welcome to hell, gentlemen. Perennial bottom-dwellers Utah State and New Mexico both have new coaches; they both had new coaches in 2005, too, and Gary Andersen and DeWayne Walker aren't looking at any better prospects than Brent Guy and Hal Mumme, or any other predecessors in the wastelands. I'm not sure if it hurts or helps that both depth charts are undergoing massive turnover, but at least there's comfort for now for both the league's Aggies in one undeniable fact: At least they're not Idaho. The Vandals are 3-21 in two years under Robb Akey, whose requisite three-year window should be closing around Thanksgiving, give or take a week or so.